Ten Ways With Mayonnaise

As condiments go, it’s hard to go past a good mayonnaise when you need something quick and easy. Here’s a basic recipe for mayo (and instructional video!) along with a few ideas for making a compound mayo . That’s chef talk for “you’ve put stuff in it”  😀

Tangy Mayonnaise – 500ml oil (half canola and half light olive oil), 3 yolks, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 a lemon – juiced, 1 teaspoon white sugar, sea salt.

Watch this for a very home-made video demonstration.

Garlic Aioli – 500ml basic mayo, 8-10 garlic cloves – smashed, 100ml light olive oil, sea salt

Place your garlic cloves in a small saucepan, big enough that they just cover the bottom evenly. Cover with olive oil and simmer very gently for 25 mins. Avoid getting too much colour on the garlic. A light golden colour is plenty. Make sure the cloves are soft. Chill. Puree all together and fold through your mayo. Best scoffed with hot chips or crispy roast potatoes.Tuna and Caper Mayo – awesome for dressing a pasta salad with a little chopped avocado and tomato or for spreading over some toasted baguette or rice crackers

250ml basic mayo, 1 tin tuna in spring water, 1 tablespoon capers – rinsed and chopped, 1/2 a lemon – juiced, chopped parsley. Drain the tuna well and separate with a fork. Mix everything together and add a little salt and pepper if necessary.

Tartare Sauce– the classic fish and chip accompaniment. There is little more disappointing in life than ordering great F&C’s from your favourite chippy and being given factory made sauce.  Make your own, take your own 🙂

350ml basic mayo, 1 tablespoon washed capers, 2 tablespoons chopped cucumber pickle, 1 tablespoon chopped French shallot, juice from 1 lemon, 1/2 a bunch parsley, 1 tablespoon chopped dill. Salt and pepper. Blend all the ingredients except mayo until pasty. Fold through mayo, chill.Green Chilli Mayo – this one has featured on loads of menus in my kitchens. Think fried seafood, tempura vegetables, pan-fried tofu, chicken schnitzel. Or as a wicked slaw dressing.

250ml basic mayo,125g sour cream, 3 large green or jalepeno chillies, 2 limes, 1/2 a bunch coriander – washed and chopped, 2 spring onions – chopped. De-seed the chillies and slice. Place in a blender with the coriander, onions,  lime juice and a pinch of salt and blitz. Fold through the mayo and sour cream until well combined.

Vanilla and lime – Great with poached chicken and a little salad and with bbq baby octopus too. Or think bbq corn on the cob or a dollop in a seafood chowder.

250ml basic mayo, 1 vanilla bean – scraped, 2 small limes -zest and juice. Mix. Chill.Roast Lemon and Saffron Mayo –  Roasted lemons take on a whole new flavour and feel. Extra sweetness and conversely, extra sour due to the cooking of the rind and pith. The saffron takes this to a whole new level again with that unique earthiness. Serve with a whole baked fish or roast chicken.

500ml basic mayo. 2 large lemons, a pinch of sugar, 1/4 gram saffron. Cut the lemons across, rub with sugar and place face down on a baking tray. Drizzle with a little oil. Roast for 15 mins on 160*c. Cool and squeeze over the saffron. Add a little salt and let stand for 20 minutes. Mix with mayo.

Caramelised Onion Aioli – Savoury and sweet all in one go. Try with lamb or other grilled red meat. Serve on a dips platter with chopped vegetables or grilled bread. Or both.

250ml Garlic Aioli, 2 large Spanish onions – sliced, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 100ml balsamic vinegar, sea salt. Simmer the onions, balsamic and sugar gently for about 90 mins or until it starts to go a little tacky. Chill. Fold through mayo. Chill.Ricotta and Lemon Aioli – Great for sandwiches, grissini, crostata and vegetable sticks.

250ml basic mayo,  250g ricotta, 2 lemons finely zested, cracked pepper, sea salt.Blitz the ricotta until smooth. Fold everything together. Chill.

Chipotle Aioli -For the spicy food fanatic. Great on anything. Chipotle comes in a tin from delis and specialty shops and some supermarkets. Don’t confuse it with chipotle bbq sauce. It is not the same thing. At all. Use as a dip for corn chips or raw vegetables. Add to some pulled pork tacos. Now ya talkin’!

500ml garlic aioli, 1 small tin chipotle in adobe sauce – pureed. Combine well.Classic Cocktail, Thousand Island, Marie Rose. Whatever, that fat juicy prawn your dunking in it doesn’t care what its called.

350ml basic mayo, 150g sour cream, 2 tablespoons Worcester, 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup, juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon horseradish relish, sea salt. Mix it all well and refrigerate.

All of these ideas will work well with your favourite shop brand of mayo. Look for whole egg mayo where you can. But have a go at making your own sometime too. Go on!

Or try any of these additions – chopped boiled egg, tarragon and lemon, any style of mustard, spring onions, dill, grated celeriac, pureed corn, wasabi, pickled ginger, chopped kimchi, miso paste, peanut butter, mustard fruits, quince paste, pesto…..Or maybe you’ve got some ideas of your own?

*If you’re surprised or concerned at the amount of oil in mayonnaise, you should be more concerned by what goes into ‘low fat’ mayo.

What Kids Can Do

Kids can get involved here by measuring ingredients, cracking and separating eggs, picking herbs, rinsing capers, pouring in the oil etc…

Let them have a go. The most important thing in training is to explain the process, demonstrate the process and then guide them through the first attempt. So perhaps you’ll make it ‘together’ this time and next time stand back a little. This all comes down to the capabilities of your own kids.

If it doesn’t go to plan, start again. You may lose a little oil and vinegar, but build a whole lot of confidence and trust with the kids.

Mayo vs Aioli. Aioli is a traditional French sauce being mayo w/ crushed raw garlic added to the process and served with boiled vegetables. Raw garlic can be a little   offensive to our humble antipodean palates so the confit garlic in the first recipe is a nice compromise. Some would argue that Aioli doesn’t use egg but is bound by garlic or even boiled potato. As far as the common vernacular is concerned however – mayo is aioli is mayo is aioli, if you know what I’m saying. Mayoli!?

Happy Cooking!

🙂

Posted by adamjclements on August 6, 2015

https://cookandkid.wordpress.com/2015/08/06/ten-ways-with-mayonaise/